1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cameras employing solid state detector arrays, such as arrays of charge coupled devices, for converting an optical image of an object into electrical signals corresponding to the image, for example video signals for use in television.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art contains solid state cameras, as exemplified in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,982,274, 4,127,877, 4,204,230, 4,245,240, 4,253,120, 4,306,252, 4,367,493 and 4,369,459, which employ charged coupled devices in linear or rectangular arrays to produce electrical video signals. Some solid state cameras employ a rectangular array upon which the total image of an object is projected; these cameras have one or more deficiencies such as, having poor resolution, being unduly expensive, etc. Other cameras employ linear arrays of detectors and generally require mechanical devices for scanning the object, such as a transport device for moving a document across a slit exposing the array, a moving mirror, or moving aperture device for projecting a line of the image on the detector array; such mechanical scanning devices have one or more deficiencies such as increasing the complexity of the camera, being subject to mechanical failure, being slow, etc.